


The Legend of Miriam

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Ghosts, Horror, Lothal, Urban Legends, Zeb's pov, mention of Kanan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:51:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezra and Zeb have a run-in with one of Lothal's urban legends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Legend of Miriam

__ Hush now child, can't you hear?   
Miriam is drawing near   
Don't you dare look in her eyes   
If you do, you'll face demise    
Close your eyes and block your view   
Miriam is behind you   
Run along and don't look back   
Or she'll follow in your tracks   
Quiet, child, can't you hear?   
Miriam is drawing near.

  
"That's the last of them" Ezra hefted the last fruit into his pack. The grass swayed around them and the setting sun cast long shadows behind them. Zeb patted his own full pack and grinned.

  
"All right," he said "Let's head back." Ezra rubbed his forehead, looking frustrated.   
"There's something I'm forgetting." The kid said, "Something important."

  
"Can't have been that important if  ya ' forgot about it" Ezra shook his head.

  
"No, it's really important. It's-" The kid stiffened, the blood seemed to drain from his face. Zeb was instantly on alert but if this was another Jedi thing Zeb was  gonna  shove-

  
"It's dusk, and we're near Miriam's pillar."

  
"Who the  kriff  is Miriam?" Zeb demanded, Ezra was looking green.

  
"She's... a local legend in my town." Ezra said, looking around nervously. "Look, we need to get out of here, now." Zeb laughed.

  
"You're scared of a legend?" He asked incredulously. Ezra scowled, "You haven't lived here your whole life. Fear of Miriam is drilled into every kids head from birth. We're told to respect her, don't provoke her, don't go near her pillar, and don't leave your home after 9:00 at night." Zeb chuckled, but stopped at the look on Ezra's face.

  
"You're really afraid of this legend, aren't you?" He asked, somewhere between soft and mocking. Ezra nodded. Zeb thought for a moment; "I thought you could hide very easily on this planet, what with all the tall grass." Ezra shook his head.

  
"It's easy to hide in the grass, but not from her." And  kriff  if that wasn't ominous. Ignoring the slight shiver that went down his spine, Zeb went on, looking to distract the kid from scanning the grass, "Tell me the legend." Ezra looked apprehensive, but, hesitantly, he spoke;

  
"Miriam lived in this town. She was a girl, a beautiful girl, she was apparently force sensitive." Ezra cast his eyes around, searching the darkness for... Zeb wasn't sure what.

  
"Her dad was really superstitious and old-fashioned. He thought her force sensitivity was a curse, that Miriam was evil. He kept her locked away for fourteen years." There was a chill in the air, Zeb found that his fur was standing on end, something was wrong.

  
"Then, on Miriam's 16th birthday, her dad took her to the top of that pillar." Ezra pointed at the pillar closest to them, his hands were shaking.

  
"He pushed her off." He finished close to a whisper, "She fell to her death, the legend says you can hear her screaming if you listen."

  
The sun had set completely, and Zeb found himself shivering even with his fur. Had it been so cold a moment ago? Ezra shivered as well.

  
"She was only one year older than me." He said, almost to himself. "After she died, weird stuff started happening. Friends of Miriam's dad started turning up dead, and the dad himself apparently lost his mind completely. He locked himself in his house and never came out. People reported weird noises coming from the house, screams and blaster shots and some people swore they could hear a girl singing lullabies. He was found dead a few weeks later. His eyes had been ripped out." 

  
The wind was picking up, Ezra's hair was flying. The Ghost was miles away and they faced a long walk back. They needed to get moving, the atmosphere created by Ezra's story was starting to get to Zeb. He nudged the kid's shoulder, an indication to start walking. Ezra nodded his vehement agreement. They grabbed their packs and set off, but they had barely taken two steps when the wind picked up suddenly. It whipped the grass around and howled around them, forcing them to shield their eyes, and alongside the shrieking wind and Ezra's frightened shout Zeb swore he heard screaming. 

  
The wind stopped suddenly, along with any sounds besides their breathing. The sudden silence was unnerving. Zeb dared to open his eyes.

  
He saw blood. Gray, torn skin, dark blue hair, a bloodied mouth full of dirt-

  
And then he saw only darkness, cold hands covered his eyes. Zeb panicked, fought, but a strangled hushing sound from Ezra calmed him enough to think again. The kid had covered his eyes.

  
"Don't look into her eyes!" The kid's frantic, terrified whisper came from right beside him, "She'll rip yours out!"

  
Every instinct Zeb had was telling him to open his eyes, to push Ezra behind him and fight the threat head on. But just this once, he listened to Ezra, who knew more about this than he did, and kept his eyes closed but his hand firmly on the kid's arm. The... whatever this creature was, screamed, this time it came from right behind him. Zeb's nerves were screaming as well, the urge to grab Ezra and run growing stronger. His heart was pounding in his ears and Zeb wondered if he'd ever been this afraid in his life. The screaming stopped abruptly, and the kid started talking, Zeb focused on his voice.

  
"Miriam," Zeb could feel Ezra trembling, "We didn't mean to disturb you. He's not from around here, I am. I should have kept track of time and left you alone. I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt him. He-he didn't know!"

  
There was silence, the only sounds were Zeb and Ezra's labored breathing. Was the angry spirit still there? Could he open his eyes? He was about to ask the kid when the spirit-when Miriam-responded through her dirt-filled mouth. Her words garbled and her voice a rasping whisper.

  
"You are like me."

  
Zeb couldn't see, couldn't hear anything but he heard Ezra's breath hitch. He was trembling even more now, and Zeb was had to quash the urge to lash out at the-at Miriam. She spoke again;

  
"Someday you may be like me." Zeb's fists unconsciously clenched, and Ezra whimpered. There was a strange noise, like a breath being let out quickly. And then there was silence. For a moment, Zeb dared not move, dared not raise his eyelids even a little. But moments passed without a sound from Miriam. Natural sounds were starting to make their way to Zeb's ears; a bird in the distance, the rustling of grass, the growl of a hunting loth-cat, and Zeb dared to take a peek.

  
Miriam was gone. The night was not so dark anymore, the moon's were shining low in the sky. Ezra's eyes were tightly shut. Zeb suspected they had been for the entire time. But what really caught Zeb's eye was the new mark on Ezra's face. A red, handprint-shaped mark, as though someone had been caressing his cheek. Ezra opened his eyes slowly, relief palpable when he saw they were safe. 

  
"She's gone." He said breathlessly, "We survived!" He noticed Zeb's gaze fixed in his face, on the mark that Miriam's dead hand had left, and averted his own eyes.

  
"Her hands were really cold." Was all he said. He contemplated the ground, where dead patches of grass were all that proved that Miriam was ever there.

"We should get back to the Ghost." Ezra finally said, "I... I want  Kanan ." And Zeb was  reminded of how young Ezra was. He was young and clearly disturbed by what Miriam had said, if his unconsciously touching her handprint was anything to go by. He thought again of what Miriam had said, that someday Ezra may be a wandering, angry spirit, killed by someone he loves. He remembered that she was only one year older than the kid. He thought of her dark blue hair and felt a new determination rise up in him.

  
"You won't end up like her, kid" he said dismissively, shoving this whole experience to the back of his mind where he could freak out about it later, and starting his walk to the Ghost, where the others were no doubt waiting and worried sick.

  
"I won't allow it."

  
Ezra smiled, a strained, half-hearted smile, and followed Zeb home.

**Author's Note:**

> I like horror, although I've never actually written it. I wrote this in between classes after I saw a trailer for The Forest. I needed more fics with Zeb and Ezra. Hope you all enjoy.


End file.
